Book picks similar to
Widow Woman by Patricia McLinn


romance
western
historical-romance
historical

Hannah


Cynthia Woolf - 2019
    She expects her sister to find trouble, and she does. But what Hannah doesn't expect is to fall for the hired gun traveling with the wagon train as they make their way along the treacherous Oregon Trail. The bounty hunter is tall, dark and dangerous, everything she's avoided her entire life. But when she begins to suspect criminals are riding just four wagons back, she'll do just about anything to convince him to listen...and to protect her fragile younger sister from the truth about what this trip is costing them both. The only thing bounty hunter Joe Stanton wants is to avoid trouble. He's tagging along on this trip to the Oregon Territory to put a little extra cash in his pocket and take a break from the hunt. The only woman he ever loved broke his heart and his last bounty cost an innocent man his life. Joe's had enough blood, death and betrayal to last a lifetime. So why, then, does he make Hannah's secrets his own? Why does he lie to protect her? And why does the stubborn woman's dogged attempts to help him track down criminals drive him insane with worry. Maybe because he's falling for the red-headed beauty. Maybe because if he doesn't keep her close, they'll both end up dead.

Rachel and the Hired Gun


Elaine Levine - 2009
    But she didn't realize that she had been summoned west to be used as a pawn in a ranch war with her father's neighbor--or that her fierce, sudden attraction to Sager, her father's hired gun, would put her heart and her life in jeopardy.Seducing Rachel and feeding a bitter feud between the two ranches was Sager's plan of vengeance against those who slaughtered his Shoshone family. Instead, Rachel's guileless mix of courage and vulnerability touches the conscience he thought he'd buried long ago, and draws them both into a passion without rules, without limits--one that will change their destinies forever. . . Note: This is a reprint of a previously published book.

Pieces of Sky


Kaki Warner - 2009
    An authoress and milliner, she carries the weight of a scandalous secret-a horrible shame that has brought her to the West on a desperate search for the only family she can trust: her brother.Fall in love with the first book in the Blood Rose trilogy-a romance of the Old West by a phenomenal new talent.

Trail of Kisses


Merry Farmer - 2014
    After her father sentences two members of The Briscoe Boys gang to death, Judge Tremaine feels he has no choice but to send Lynne to Denver City along the Oregon Trail to live with her Uncle George…against her will. For Lynne, the only thing worse than being sent away to the wild west is making the journey with the handsome, arrogant, wicked man her uncle has hired to escort her. Especially when the anger she feels toward him begins to turn to something hotter.Cade Lawson is determined to prove himself to his employer, George Tremaine, after letting him down months earlier. But what he thought would be his second chance may, in fact, be a harsh punishment for his past mistakes. Lynne is headstrong, fiery, and determined to show him she is fearless. She is also beautiful and tempting, and when Cade sees just how afraid she really is underneath her brave act, he may be in danger of losing his heart to her forever. When her would-be killer attacks, it’s all he can do to keep Lynne safe.He swore to protect her, but who will protect him from her?WARNING - Steam level: Hot

A Cowboy Christmas


Janette Kenny - 2009
    He’s got prize thoroughbreds to protect, and a long-ago wrong that he wants to make right. But the beautiful cook who’s taken over the ranch kitchen is a welcome distraction, even if Ellie Jo Cade burns everything from gingerbread to roast beef. Her sweet face and womanly figure are pure temptation…Cornhusk angels…bright berry garlands…spun-sugar snow—everything about Christmas holds fond memories for Ellie Jo. She’s doing her best to make peace with an ornery wood-burning stove and make the old ranch house truly festive. All she wants is to believe in Reid…and the only-at-Christmas magic that makes hearts glow…

The Outsider


Penelope Williamson - 1996
    One day, a handsome stranger dying from a gunshot wound walks into her ranch. With simple kindness, she treats his injury and nurses him back to health. Soon Rachel finds herself drawn to this mysterious outsider with a violent past--and must put her future on the line for a last chance at happiness.

Grace be a Lady


Heather Blanton - 2015
    Think like a lady. Act like a man. Banished to the dusty cow town of Misery, Wyoming for an alleged affair, Grace Hendrick is facing the hardest decisions of her life. If she tries to return to Chicago, her husband promises to whisk their four-year-old son off to a boarding school and Grace will never see him again. She has no choice but to play along, at least temporarily. But in order to survive--and to save her son--she needs money. Misery, however, isn't brimming over with jobs for respectable women. Stubborn and proud, Grace refuses to consider prostitution. Since she'd rather die than give her husband that kind of victory, she forges an audacious plan. If she has to live in a man's world, she'll live as a man. Thad Walker is the middle son of the oldest, most successful cattle baron in Wyoming and he always puts ranch work first. One chance meeting with Grace Hendrick, though, batters his resolve like a hail storm in July. When Grace's brother Greg Henderson gets hired by a local widow lady, Thad figures the kid is the straightest path to Grace's heart. Friendship and love blossom, but so do the lies. Eventually, deceit catches fire and threatens everything Grace and Thad hold dear. Set against the backdrop of the Johnson County War, 1891 Wyoming will prove more explosive than the mean streets of Chicago.

The Law and Miss Penny


Sharon Ihle - 1994
    Morgan Slater, U.S. Marshal, had to accept pretty Mariah Penny's word that he was her cousin, Cain Law.Mariah had good reasons for misleading Morgan, but there was an attraction between the raven-haired beauty and the lawman that made her long to turn cousinly conversation into more than a friendly encounter. Cain soon found himself running afoul of the law he had sworn to protect, all in the name of a forbidden passion.

Suddenly a Bride


Cynthia Thomason - 1999
    A devastating tornado destroys Abigail Chadwick's homestead and kills her beloved father, leaving her with grief, five orphans, and the challenge of rebuilding her farm alone. She wasn't prepared for the miracle that showed up on her doorstep in the handsome form of Sam Kelly, a stranger who was just passing through. When he decides to stay and help her, Abby discovers that Sam's gentle kindness might mend more than just tattered buildings. But what about the mystery that surrounds his past? Can she really believe he'll stay?Homespun Hearts is a story about faith, family, and believing in miracles, set in America's heartland by award-winning author, Cynthia Thomason. Homespun Hearts was awarded the National Readers' Choice Award for best long historical romance.

Tender Touch


Charlene Raddon - 1994
    . .Three nightmarish years of marriage has shattered Brianna Wight's sheltered world. Leading her husband to believe she's been murdered, she flees to St. Louis . . . harboring terrible secrets that could be the death of her.The tragic loss of his Indian wife left Columbus Nigh a wanderer; necessity made him a wilderness guide. But now he finds himself drawn to the enigmatic woman who's hired him to lead her westward. Her gentle strength stirs his lonely heart . . . her tender beauty arouses his deepest passions.Would they find love again on a western journey?But the perils of the Oregon Trail pale beside the murderous wrath of the man who tracks them across the harsh frontier. Briana knows the only way to save herself and Columbus is to risk their tender love. Only then can she free herself from the horrors of the past -- and embrace a rapturous future . . .

Train Station Bride


Holly Bush - 2012
    Julia strikes out on her own to gain independence, traveling to the Midwest to marry an aging shopkeeper and care for his mother. Julia finds her new home rough and uncivilized after the sophistication of a big city, while closely held secrets threaten to ruin Julia’s one chance at love. Jake Shelling was sixteen and grew up quick when his parents died from influenza on the South Dakota prairie. Left with a half-cleared farm and two young sisters, he spent little time on his own needs . .till now. At thirty-five, he figured it was high time to have some sons and a mail order bride would suit him just fine. No expectations of love, just a helpmate from sturdy stock, ready for farm life. Will fate and chance play a trick on Julia and Jake?

The Wild One


Elaine Barbieri - 2001
    It was the shining legacy of Thomas McBride to his five living heirs. But along with the fertile acres and herds of cattle, each would inherit a history of scandal, lies and hidden lust that threatened to burn out of control.The Wild One...would never return to the Circle M until the old man was dead. But an unusual clause in Tom McBride's last will and testament brought him home early, to face the scheming stepmother who'd ruined his life, to find the one girl who could tame his heart and reawaken his faith in the healing power of love.

The Heart of a Soiled Dove


Sarah Jae Foster - 2012
    A new beginning. A calling to fulfill.Aurora Young is one of the lucky ones. Her freedom from San Francisco’s Red Light District came by way of an anonymous benefactor. After coming into the knowledge of God’s love and redemption, Aurora realizes her destiny is to save sisters still working in brothels. Leaving the past behind, she heads to Montana and buys a large spread of land to house women of ill-repute. But a run-in with an infamous cattle baron threatens the plans she's put in place…and everything she’s come to love. Donovan Ramsey owns the largest cattle ranch in the region and has plans to purchase the land adjoining his. When newcomer Aurora Young arrives and purchases it before he can, his goal is to do all he can to acquire it back, even if that means trumping the good will of his tenacious yet lovely new neighbor. He is a man used to getting what he wants and isn’t thrilled when his heart begins to soften. Donovan must decide if it’s worth fighting his growing admiration for Aurora, or taking back what is rightfully his.

Swept Away


Mary Connealy - 2013
    All they've ever done is work her to the bone. She prayed for a chance to get away, and then came the raging flood. Alive but disoriented, she's rescued by Luke Stone... so unfortunately, there are more chances to die in her immediate future.Luke is heading home to reclaim the ranch stolen from his family. But the men who killed his father are working hard to ensure Luke doesn't make it alive. He has no choice but to keep moving. Still, he can't just abandon Ruthy, so she'll have to come along.His friends—a ragtag group of former Civil War soldiers—take a fast interest in the pretty gal. Luke thinks that's rather rude—he's the one who found her. And the more time he spends around the hard-working young woman who is a mighty good cook, the more he finds himself thinking beyond revenge and toward a different future. For the first time in a long time, Luke is tempted to turn from his destructive path and be swept away by love.

Teton Sunrise


Peggy L. Henderson - 2013
    For six long years, she’s waited and wondered if he would return. After the shocking murder of her parents, her brother is the only family she has left. Refusing to accept a betrothal to a man she doesn’t love, she decides to take control of her destiny and confront her parents’ killer. Growing up, Alexander Walker has known only violence at the hands of his cruel father. After the death of his mother, he embarks on a journey into the uncharted wilderness to test his resolve as a fur trapper and mountain man. When an impulsive decision leads him back to his childhood home, he finds more than he bargained for.Amid the rugged Teton wilderness, fate suddenly throws Alex and Evelyn together. The quiet protective boy she remembers is now as strange to her as the world she’s been forced into. Wary of the hardened man he has become, Evelyn must put her trust in him in order to survive. Alex’s memories of Evelyn are of a pesky little girl, but he can’t deny his growing feelings for the beautiful and spirited woman she is now. His biggest obstacle in winning her heart may not be her uncertainty of him, but a fear that has haunted him all his life. In a primitive and brutal world, can Alex and Evelyn forge a love as solid as the mountains, or will the past come back to haunt them both?